Sleep Now In My Arms
by Junjou Writer
Summary: Joey Wheeler has been having strange dreams that give him a bad feeling, especially since he feels like he knows who it is about but he just can't place it. When his dream seems to be coming true he slips into a different dream he may never want to wake from. - For vampygurl402


This is for vampygurl402

I REAAALLLYYY hope you like it!

Sleep Now In My Arms

**_Come back_**

**_Take me with you_**

**_I can't exist if me don't equal you now_**

**_Be here, right as I am, right as you were_**

**_Answer me please, love._**

Joey sat up in his bed with a deep breath. It was that dream again. It's always that dream. It wakes him up at 5 after 3 am Every time, every day.

It starts out on his bike. The time is 3:20 am and its pelting rain on him. The tires screech as a car turns, unable to see him through the rain, and they crash. Joey rolls and manages to avoid any serious injuries but there is blood all over the inner windshield and an arm hanging limply out the window.

Joey approaches the car, calling out to the driver, but as he gets to the window light flashes and he sees a face but then... He wakes up. And he can't remember who the hell he saw... Nor where he was or what the car even looked like. Why was everything else in his mind with perfect clarity? It drove him wild with anticipation.

He breathed a deep sigh and looked at his window. A clear night. He wasn't sure when the dream was supposed to happen exactly and it was killing him. He spoke to Yugi last week only to get a vague response about his subconscious trying to tell him something. The hell? Well if that was true then the mini Joeys in his mind needed to get their shit together and crank that message to his conscious before he went completely bonkers.

"I gotta get up in the morning!" Joey growled, pulling his pillow over his face in frustration. He knew, however, that sleep would elude him.

~ That day ~

Joey sat at the pizza parlor with Yugi. Tristan was on a date with his sister, the man would pay for that transgression later, and Duke was working on a new project.

"Your dream sounds very ambiguous, Joey." Yugi murmured. "It sounds like a premonition honestly. I think something is going to happen. Soon."

"Way to sound dark and foreboding, Yug." Joey sighed.

The door chimed as Mokuba came in dragging his older brother along. Joey's breath hitched at the sight of his long time crush. He shook his head and tried to stop staring.

"Sorry, Joey. But hey, at least your favorite person is here to brighten your day." He smiled tentatively.

"Yeah and hating my guts." Joey mumbled. "As usual."

"I don't think its that bad honestly." Yugi smiled. "At least he acknowledges you. Even if he does it meanly but if you think about it, he's not as mean as he used to be either."

"I guess," Joey sighed softly. He tried to not openly stare at the CEO.

~ Three nights later ~

Joey was having that dream again. He was already crashed on the ground and looking around at the car. He got up and made his way to it, throwing his helmet to the ground. He got alongside the car and the flash of light came. Joey jumped. He didn't wake up this time. He saw the face of the driver, regaining consciousness and looking to the side. It was Seto Kaiba, his face was covered In blood but as he looked out the window he looked horrified. He yelled something as he forced his way out of his car but he wasn't looking at joey, his gaze was fixed past him. Before Joey could turn to see, he woke up.

He was soaking wet. Rain was pounding against the window. Joey groaned and rolled to look at his clock. His eyes widened and he jumped out of bed. 3:15 am. Whatever was happening, it was going to happen now.

He grabbed his leather jacket and pulled it on before rushing out the door. He took his bike out of the garage and headed out into the rain, following the familiar route from his dreams but proceeding much more slowly than before. He had to just see Seto and try to get him to at least drive more safely in the rain.

The blonde dualist turned onto the road that they crashed on. He watched the time and a minute after 3:20, the CEO's headlights turned onto the road as well. But he was driving slowly. Joet frowned slightly. How did they crash if both of them were driving carefully?

A tire screeched somewhere and Joey felt himself jerk just a bit. He looked around and behind him was a red pick up truck speeding towards them. It only took an instant for the dualist to figure out what was going to happen next but his body wasn't nearly fast enough to react in time. And the CEO didn't notice the vehicle until it was too late. The truck barreled into Joey and smashed him into Seto's expensive car. Joey heard glass shatter and metal smashing and grinding and his body felt completely wracked with the most intense pain imaginable. He wasn't to sure what happened next. He was aware of being on the ground and a pair of cold shaky bloody hands... large hands... gently lifting his upper body and carefully feeling his pulse. He opened his eyes and through the cracked glass of his helmet, he stared up at a panicked looking Seto Kaiba.

"Joseph! Dear God, just hold on!" Seto yelled. Joey's consciousness was fading. Everything became dark and the pain started to numb away.

_**Fell Down**_

_**All on my own.**_

_**I'd rather be an angel with you than be alone.**_

_**I've cried,**_

_**Even in my sleep,**_

_**Ache as I weep.**_

_**Answer me please, Love.**_

He was being prodded awake and splashed with water. Voices were speaking a language he could barely understand all around him. He found himself waking up laying on a blanket on what felt like a very sandy ground. Joey looked around. He was surrounded by people wearing all kinds of cotton desert clothing. The sun was beating down and as far as the eye could see was rolling hills of sand.

"Up! Up, slave!" An older man ordered, forcing Joey to his feet.

"WHAT?!" He snarled to the man and a hand struck across his face harshly.

"Behave!" The man said. Joey was shocked by the blow. His eyes slowly moved to a man standing near wearing strange egyptian silk. A man with tanned skin, chestnut hair, and shocking blue eyes. He was tall and had a large build. A strong jawline. He was a spitting image of Seto Kaiba. "You have been bought, Jonouchi! By the high priest Seto even!" Joey stared at the man who stepped closer and spoke in a strange language. The man who struck Joey turned to the priest and spoke in the same language, motioning to Joey half-heartedly.

The priest only nodded and handed the man money before gently enclosing his fingers around Joey's arm and pulling him. He carefully dragged him to a horse and stopped to face him. Joey wanted to yell about what was going on. He was dreaming, surely. Tanned fingers gently carded through Joey's hair as if checking him for injury.

"Neh, what are ya doing?" Joey tried to swat the hand away. Surprise crossed the face of the man.

"It seems... you are no longer suffering from your wound." His voice held the same rich velvety quality as Seto's. "That is very good. It is best that I get you home quickly, however, so that you may rest properly in a bed." With that said, he lifted Joey by his hips onto the horse with ease. He climbed on behind the confused teenager and took control of the reigns. "Try to rest on the way there as well." Seto urged in a soft voice. Joey closed his eyes to the harsh son and decided to think things through instead.

~~ Flashback ~~

_"So what you're sayin' is, there's another version of you inside that puzzle? And he lived thousands of years ago?" Joey asked his best Friend Yugi as they sat in the kid's living room eating pizza._

_"Mmhmm. And around the time he lived, there was other versions of all of you as well. We all had past lives back in ancient Egypt, even Seto Kaiba."_

_"eeehh? You gotta be shitting me?" Joey almost lost the cheese from his pizza._

_"Nope. He was a priest and apparently he was um... he fell in love with a slave named-"_

~~ Flashback End ~~

"Jounochi, wake up." Seto's voice urged him. Joey opened his eyes to stare at the tanned face of the priest. when had he even fell asleep? Ah crap, he was laying on a bed. He slept like the freakin' dead! "I brought you food. You need something to eat to feel better so I brought you some rice. Allow me to feed you."

"Eh, I can feed myself..." Joey argued but Seto held his head up and fed him and there was such tenderness in the action, it made the dualist want to melt.

"Nonesense. Please allow me to care for you, Jounouchi. You are mine to care for." Seto spoke quietly. Joey stared at him for a long moment before being allowed to be fed. This couldn't possibly be real. None of it could be.

"Seto, is it true you brought a slave into my palace?" A deep voice spoke in a commanding tone. Joey looked to the door and choked a bit on the rice he was eating. It was Yugi! No... they way he looked now... it was like whenever Yugi was dualing a particularly hard dual. He seemed to change... this must've been Yugi's past life... What'd he call him? Yami?

"Atem, it is indeed true however... I did not do it with the intention of undermining you. I know you do not want slaves in your kingdom but I do not intend to keep him as a slave. i may have bought him as a slave but my intention is to keep him as my attendant."

"I see..." The past Yugi looked from Seto to Joey then gave a gentle smile. "Then I suppose you are in good hands. Please rest easily, and if you have a need to complain about my cousin, feel free to confide in me." Atem said contently. He left the room almost as swiftly as he came and Joey lowered his head a bit. This was all too much. It had to be a dream. He was in a coma. He just had to wake up.

"am I... really a slave?" He whispered. Slender fingers grabbed his chin and lifted his head a bit. He stared into shocking blue eyes.

"No. You were a slave but now... you are just mine. Nothing more and nothing less, Jonouchi." Seto explained carefully. Joey gazed at him. This was the face of the man he longed for loving him the way he'd only ever dreamed of. Of course... Seto would only love him in the dream of a past life... The cold reality hurt his heart. "Why do you cry?" The priest's gentle finger wiped a tear rolling down Joey's face. A tear he hadn't meant to shed.

"Because I long for ya so friggin' much but of course this is the only way I can have ya, isn't it? I can't neva have ya as my own in reality... You'd neva want someone as lowly as me."

"The way you speak confuses me. But it sounds as though you do not believe me..." Seto pressed foreward and kissed the blonde as gently as he could before leaning more in to deepen the kiss. Within seconds his lips were passionately controlling Joey's. It was everything Joey had ever hoped a kiss from Seto Kaiba could be. It was controlling and demanding and it left him feeling breathless but there was a gentleness to it as well that was almost as painful as getting hurt in the first place. "Please understand, the reason I bought you was not merely for your own benefit, but for mine as well. Because I want you. I have wanted you since I first laid eyes onto you." Seto's hands gently rubbed over Joey's cheek comfortingly. "Please... be mine..."

_**To feel,**_

_**Your head rests on my chest,**_

_**So still,**_

_**And close to my breath, oh**_

_**To feel,**_

_**Your head rests on my chest,**_

_**So still,**_

_**Forever**_

Joseph Wheeler laid in the hospital bed in a coma for the eighth day in a row. A breathing machine helped him maintain his oxygen supply and other machines monitored his heart and even his brain waves. So far there's been barely a twitch of life.

"You should go home and get some sleep, Seto. Sitting at his bedside day and night won't make him wake up. I'm sorry." Yugi whispered quietly, brushing a hand over the CEO's shoulders comfortingly.

"I don't understand how this could have... I mean I was getting ready to..." Seto choked back a sob.

"Seto... that night... were you on your way to go see him?" Yugi asked softly. The taller male nodded. "I see... I'm sorry, I should have told you sooner but... I think he only went out that night to... see you as well..."

"What?" Seto looked up slowly.

"He told me hes been having these dreams lately... and the way he described it was... exactly like the accident... and it was really bothering him.." Yugi sat beside the tall man and stared at Joey.

"About me? He was dreamign about me?"

"He said he couldn't remember who it was but it was someone he cared for... deeply... I thought it was his sister or maybe even me but when thaat accident happened... I knew it was you. And I knew he went out to try to save you." Yugi squeezed his wrists

"Why would he do that... when I've been so horrible to him?" Seto reached out and brushed a pale finger across the comatose boy's peach colored cheek longingly.

"Because he liked you. Maybe even loved you. but you were too caught up in yourself to really look at his face when he stares at you. I hope he wakes up soon... so you can realize what an idiot you've been." Yugi's voice had a bit of ice to it but the message was clear and recieved.

**_Sleep now in my arms,_**

**_Forever,_**

**_Sleep now in my arms,_**

**_Together,_**

**_Dream that we wont fade,_**

**_Forever_**

**_Sleep now in my arms_**

Joey woke nustled up to the bare chest of the egyptian priest as per usual. After the first day, he found himself constantly under the gentle touch of the priest who seemed to be near all the time but it was never more than a gentle hand hrer or their, a comforting hug now and then. Nothing was as intense or passionate as that kiss the first day. But it was interested for Joey to wake up every morning cuddled up to a guy who slept naked each and every night.

"Good morning... Seto.." Joey whispered softly. He knew the bastard was already awake. He could feel the peircing blue stare before he even opened his eyes.

"Good morning... Jon... Joey.." The priest was still getting in the swing of calling him by his proper name. And it took a good four tries before the priest believed his story about him being from the future. But once he swallowed it all he showed with a tight and warm hug that such things as times and places mattered not to the man. "You slept well."

"You should know. Ya were gone until I was already asleep and ya always wake before me." Joey murmured sleepily. He snuggled farther into the priest's chest. "What do you um... have to do today?"

"Nothing worth noting..." Seto murmured, wrapping his arms tightly around his apprentice. Joey was a fast learner with medicinal herbs and he quickly proved his place as the right hand man of the high priest of Egypt. "What would be the prupose is your querrie?" He asked softly and Joey moved closer.

"I just.. don't want to get up..." Joey lied softly.

"Hmmm... so it has nothign to do with the dream you had last night? The one that had you calling for your sister or your friends?" He asked in the gentlest of tones.

Joey tensed but just laid his palms flat on the expansive chest. "I just miss them is all... but actually... I was hoping ya might-" Seto tilted the blonde's head up and silenced him with a kiss. A soft chaste kiss that derailed his thought train.

"What do you say to the two of us going on a walk?" Seto interrupted softly. He got up almost hesitently and dressed and Joey bit the inside of his cheek a bit. He had actually wanted to ask the priest to kiss him again, and maybe even do more to him.

"Fine..." He murmured in agreemnt and changed into his day wear.

Seto took him through the town and into the back streets where criminals and shady things happened. Joey was confused but they entered a small stone hut. Inside, Joey was honestly reminded of a place belonging to a witch doctor in movies. There was a large cauldron in the middle of the room full of a shimmering silver liquid. There was glass jars full of strange and disturbing things lining shelves on the far wall but a beaded curtain shifted as a beautiful black haired woman stepped out. She paid her proper respects to them and Seto took Joey's hand in his own.

"Your sleep is always fitfull... sometimes you call out the names of people you have mentioned to me... other times you call out a name that is similar to my own but different... and you always sound so longing... so I assume that this man... this Seto Kaiba of your own time... is the one who truly holds your heart.." Seto spoke his future self's name so venemously that Joey had to cover his mouth to stifle a laugh. "So this woman is Isis Ishtar and she is... something of a magician..." He spoke tersly. Joey bowed politely then look at Seto waiting for this to continue.

Isis merely plucked a few strands of Joey's hair and dropped them into the cauldron before mixing in other ingredients and mumbling. Joey yelped and shot a glare at Seto who just continued.

"I have asked her and she says that she can return you to your own time... to the ones you truly love..." Seto spoke. His voice ended sounding as though he broke his own heart with this. He turned his back and Joey just looked in shock at the woman who ushered him over to the liquid. Inside he could see a reflection of the hospital he was in. Seto Kaiba was at his bedside whispering to joey about how much he loved him and how everything would be different if he would _just wake up_.

Seto heard the voice as well and tensed. He was very distraught with the situation.

_"he fell in love with a slave named Jonouchi Katsuya... it's kind of the Egyptian equivalent to Joseph, you know? They got the name from the jews."_

Yugi's voice echoed in his head and Joey smiled. He was Jonouchi. He was here where he was meant to be... right? He casted another glance in the liquid. Serenity was there as well, bawling her eyes out. Could he really be so selfish? He knew what he wanted... what his heart desired... but was it okay? He looked at Isis and tried to whisper to her in what little egyptian language he knew.

**"Jonouchi Katsuya... what happened to him?**" He tried to ask her. She gazed at the liquid somberly for a moment.

"**He lingers between life and death... In order for him to live... he needs a body... but you are occupying his.**.." She explained. Joey frowned and looked back into the cauldron.

"**Can you... send him back in my place? To my body? Would such a thing work**?" He wondered quietly. Isis stared at him in surprise then nodded. She ushered Seto out of the room saying that she needed to work in peace and he had already had his last goodbye. He tried to protest but one look at Joey who was hunched over the cauldron and transfixed by what he saw in the water told Seto he didn't need to say goodbye... Joey would be fine without him...

"**Do I need to do anything**?" Joey asked the magical woman as she returned to his side. She made him put his hands in the water and bade him to close his eyes and repeat the words she said. He did so. "**Jonouchi Katsuya, soul of this body... I give onto you... my own in exchange... Live in my place, be happy, be healthy, and forget not that you and I are connected by a single string of fate. The same man we both love, just in different times**."

There was a glow in the water and Isis wrenched his hands out quickly. When the glowing subsided, she pointed to the water with a smile. "Look!" She said. He looked down once more to see and hear the monitors all responded like crazy, as though someone had just flicked the power switch on his body back to the proper place. Seto yelled for a nurse then clasped his hand, tellign him to open his eyes and look at the man who loved him.

"**That's good enough for me**." Joey said with a smile. "**Thank you, miss**," He bowed once more and slowly sauntered out of the hut. Seto the priest was pacing in the street looking torn. Joey stood there for a second watching him with mild interest. "You will drive yourself crazy, you know..." Joey commented idly. seto spun on his heel to look at him.

"Jo...nouchi?" He whispered. Joey shook his head and walked up to the priest, trying to be as seductive as possible.

"The name's Joey..." He corrected, standing almost chest to chest with the taller man.

"I don't understand... why didn't you go home?" He stared, lost with confusion.

"Because i am home... dum-dum." Joey smiled and flicked his forehead. "so... mister nothing-important-to-do-today... would you mind taking me back to our bedroom?"

"With pleasure..." Seto whispered breathlessly.

_**I'll think about you all the time**_

_**But you won't ever know**_

Seto Kaiba spoke randomly and in spurts to the sleeping body on the bed. Joseph's body had finally activated all at once by some miracle but he had yet to wake. So in between working on his laptop and refinding his appetite, Seto spent his time speaking about nothing and everything to the blonde on the bed. Yugi was in the room on one such occasion and laughed out right. Seto flushed and pretended as if he wasn't talking to an unconscious person but the blonde shifted and suddenly both men were breathless in wait. Joey slowly sat up and his hand flew to his head. He murmured something and Yugi's eyes bulged slightly as he realized it was a language he wasn't familiar with. But Rah be damned, Seto certainly was. Joey was speaking in ancient egyptian.

"**You were in an accident... your head was injured**." He said in the same language. Joey's brown eyes turned to him and there was something magical there flickering behind those eyes. "**Joseph... Wheeler**?"

"**no... No, my name is Jonouchi Katsuya**..." He answered looking confused at him. "**Aren't you... the high priest? Does this mean... I was bought by you**?" Seto felt floored.. but at the same time... mystefied...?

_**THE END!**_


End file.
